Drops of Ink -- February 2021

FEBRUARY 11, 2021 VOLUME 93, ISSUE 4

PERSPECTIVE OPINION: GENDER INEQUALITY IS PLAGUING THE CLASSROOM PAGES 20-21

SENIORS REFLECT ON FINISHING HIGH SCHOOL AMID THE PANDEMIC PAGES 14-15

LIFE AS AN IMMIGRANT IN LIBERTYVILLE PAGES 10-11

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Libertyville High School Drops of Ink

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LIBERTYVILLE HIGH SCHOOL’S STUDENT NEWS PUBLICATION

CONTENTS

6

NEWS 6 SCHOOL

14-15

D128 to Spend Close to $1 Million -- or More -- on Hybrid Learning

17 FEATURES 8-9 GARBAGE & RECYCLING

10-11 IMMIGRATION

Life after Trash Day: What Settling in the U.S.: Life as Happens to our Waste an Immigrant in after it is Thrown Away? Libertyville 12-13 CRIMINAL JUSTICE

14-15 SENIORS

Justice Blindsided

The End is Near

26 WHAT’S TRENDING

27 CROSSWORD

New Year’s Resolutions

Teaching Traditions

OPINION 17 STAFF EDITORIAL

18 COLUMN

The Hard-Learned Lessons of 2020

The World is on Fire, Give Us a Break

19 COLUMN

20-21 COLUMN

Idolizing Politicians is Dangerous

Gender Inequality is Plauging the Classroom

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU Contact us at doi@lhswildcats.org Contents by Kate Barry Cover photo by Amanda Black 2

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18 22

SPORTS 22-23 SPORTS

24-25 SPORTS

LHS Winter Sports Resume after twomonth Pause

All in this Together: How an Athlete’s Support System Helps to Motivate and Inspire

WHO WE ARE Drops of Ink is a student-written, edited and produced high school publication. Our publication functions as a service to the school and greater community of Libertyville, first and foremost delivering open-minded, informative content that is relevant to our readership. While not our primary motive, Drops of Ink also looks to provide entertainment to our audience. We aim to challenge readers to see different perspectives and gain knowledge of the world around us.

CONTENTS

CHECK US OUT ONLINE Andrew Benoit

lhsdoi.com Pavan Acharya

Rowan Hornsey

COVID-19 TESTING NOW AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF OPINION: THE SENATE DEMOCRATS FAILED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THE ENTERTAINMENT OF THE FUTURE: STREAMING SERVICES

Andrew Broooks

RETURN TO LHS SLIDESHOW

Kajsa Murphy Lily Hieronymus

EDITORIAL BOARD

SARA BOGAN Managing Editor

PAVAN ACHARYA AMANDA BLACK AND ELLA MARSDEN Editors in Chief amanda.black@lhswildcats.org ella.marsden@lhswildcats.org

Online Editor

ANIKA RAINA News Editor

LILLY WILLIAMS Features Editor

DREW BENOIT MICHAEL GLUSKIN Faculty Adviser michael.gluskin@d128.org

Opinion Editor

CHRISTIAN ROBERTS Sports Editor

PEYTON RODRIGUEZ Photo Editor

JADE FOO Layout & Design Editor

STAFF Simon Amyot Katherine Barry Jack Birmingham Dino Bougiotopoulos Andrew Brooks Ariella Bucio Ellie George Alex Clark Maddie Handrich Amal Hasan Rowan Hornsey Natalie Isberg Jasmine Lafita

Dimitrios Mitsopoulos Kajsa Murphy Molly Muscato Olivia Poell Hannah Sachs Jacob Short Lyann Tam Johnny Thames Katherine Thomey Liam Tucker Avery Vang Paige Vang Sarah Wuh

LILY HIERONYMUS Social Media Editor

FEBRUARY 2021

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FEBRUARY 2021 5

NEWS

D128 TO SPEND CLOSE TO $1 MILLION--OR MORE--ON HYBRID LEARNING Andrew Benoit

Dimitrios Mitsopoulos

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, D128 schools moved from their extended eSchool schedule and began the current hybrid model, which allows students to participate in classes inside both buildings, Libertyville and Vernon Hills High Schools. The move to hybrid learning is accompanied by significant monetary costs for the district.

“I think we might end up, at the end of the year, spending between $800,000 and $1.2 million,” the district’s assistant superintendent for finance, Daniel Stanley, said.

Based on the Illinois Report Card enrollment data for D128 schools in 2020, which reported the number of D128 students to be 3,288, the total cost per student is between $243.31 and $364.96.

Although the price of hybrid learning is large, D128 Board of Education President Pat Groody is confident that the district can easily handle the cost. “[Hybrid learning] won’t in any way, shape or form change the overall financial position of the district,” he said in a phone interview.

According to Stanley, on top of the $500,000 that D128 budgeted for COVID-19 protection expenses heading into this school year, the district has received funding from both the county and state governments. The district received $181,971 from Lake County in October through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Eco-nomic Security (CARES) Act, a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill. Through the same bill, the state gave the district another $59,928 in November. Furthermore, the district is receiving around $200,000 from the most recent federal stimulus package, which thenPresident Trump signed into law on Dec. 28.

This funding, along with reduced spending on other fronts due to COVID-19, such as buses for students, means the district will be able to support the return to school.

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“I think we’ll be able to cover a lot of it out of our current budget because as a result of COVID and not opening schools [for a while], there are some things we haven’t had to spend money on,” Groody remarked.

A large portion of D128’s spending on COVID-19 expenses is related to the costs of implementing the district’s testing program, which is using the Abbott BinaxNOW antigen test. About 65% of students who are participating in in-person learning are enrolled in the testing program, which is under the district goal of 80% participation, according to Groody. The estimated cost of the testing program is $40,000 a week (this includes $20 per test and $300 per day for the testing team), and between $430,000 and $810,000 in total. According to Groody, as of right now, the district plans on testing through the rest of the school year, pushing the estimated cost closer to the $810,000 part of the range.

According to Stanley, this cost is similar to LHS’s entire athletic department’s annual expenses, excluding coaches’ salaries.

“We spend about $800,000 on athletic supplies and equipment and buses in a year at LHS,” he said.

According to Groody, the Abbott BinaxNOW test was chosen due to the high cost of PCR tests, which, according to the FDA, operate by testing for the virus’s genetic material, and the fact that the molecular amplification tests from Shield Illinois, which tests saliva for COVID-19 particles, hadn’t gotten emergency FDA approval nor could Shield Illinois assure the district that their system would be running in time to support the district’s testing program.

The BinaxNOW test also has a short turnaround time between the test and the results -- less than 30 minutes.

Although antigen tests like the Abbott BinaxNOW are slightly less

sensitive than PCR tests, Groody, who worked in diagnostic testing for 30 years and at Abbott itself for almost 28 years, isn’t worried.

“I think with the BinaxNOW we’re very comfortable,” he said. “The sensitivity performance is quite adequate for what we want to do.”

Besides the testing program, the district is spending money on other essentials to open the school safely during the pandemic.

Among this was a $90,000 expense on 1.5 million disinfecting wipes towards the end of last school year, which was paid for using the $60,000 from the CARES act along with other funds, according to Stanley.

This school year, the district has spent $358,000 on non-testing expenses, including $17,000 for masks and $37,000 for plastic, plexiglass-like shielding. Stanley doesn’t expect this to be the extent of non-testing spending.

“Right now, we’ve kind of done all the structural stuff,” he said. “At this point, we’re anticipating from here on out it’s probably [expenses] like refilling supplies, like hand sanitizer, gloves, towels, that kind of stuff.”

Stanley wasn’t able to give an estimate for how much the replenishment of supplies would cost.

“We don’t really know how much that’s going to cost between now and the end of the year. It will depend on how much it gets used,” Stanley said.

According to Groody, the cost is worth it.

“This is the price we need to pay, not only to open our buildings, but [to] keep them open and keep them safe,” he said.

Other nearby school districts have faced other issues and costs as they cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Dr. John Price, superintendent of North Chicago District 187, D187 spent much more money preparing for remote learning than they have on returning to hybrid learning.

“A large share of our families did not have high-quality, reliable internet service at home. In the spring of 2020, we were Xeroxing

NEWS and sending home paper for kids to continue to get work. By this fall, we were able to get a computer in every kid’s hand, [and provide] over 200 families with a monthly hotspot, but now we’re paying the full price for that monthly service charge,” said Dr. Price.

D187 has attempted to fill what Dr. Price calls the “digital divide” with multiple sources of help. According to Dr. Price, D128 provided North Chicago schools with over 300 used Chromebooks last spring, accompanied by a $5,900 donation from D128’s athletic association.

Furthermore, D187 received funding from federal stimulus packages, which amounted to over $2 million, according to Dr. Price. The district is also slated to receive around $4.9 million from the most recent federal stimulus package, and $169,000 from the county.

Dr. Price added that philanthropy has also been essential for the district.

“An incredibly important source of funding for North Chicago is that we have some very generous philanthropic partners who have given us some additional funding, not only for technology but also for emergency family assistance, and additional professional development time for our teachers to learn how to use some of these new tools,” he said.

Unlike D128, D187 is not implementing a testing program, in large part due to cost.

“Costs [of a testing program] were astronomical and untenable, and [the] impact appeared to me to not be worth that cost ... [it] would have been very difficult for us to afford that kind of program for any length of time,” Dr. Price said.

Other costs of this crisis, beyond what can be measured in a budget, have also burdened North Chicago.

“Black and brown communities like North Chicago have been more severely impacted by COVID. Death rates are higher, infection rates are higher on average than in communities like Libertyville. And so there’s that emotional impact and that impact of trauma, on families that have lost family members as a part of this crisis,” said Dr. Price.

He explained that these impacts of COVID-19 on an already under-resourced district can exacerbate existing gaps in what he called “multiplying inequity.”

“Under-resourced kids in under-resourced schools are a recipe for inequity or disparity, and are a recipe for achievement gaps accelerating,” Dr. Price said. “We’re going to be working very, very hard for years to make up for the impact of the last nine months on our kids and what we feel that they’ve lost.”

For Dr. Price, the costs of this crisis have made him even more proud of his district.

“Our kids and our families are incredible and so is the perseverance and the strength and the grit and the intelligence and the flexibility and the care that our families have shown,” he said. “I think this crisis has highlighted that for many of the people that I work with in North Chicago, who just see just such incredible strengths from our kids.”

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FEATURE

Life After Trash Day: What Happens to our Waste after it is Thrown Away

W

hat actually happens when something is thrown away in the trash? It disappears forever, right? Not really. Many people know generally how the system works — something is thrown away and it goes into a trash can that is then rolled onto a curb on an appointed day. Then, the garbage collector comes and picks it up, and most never worry about it again, thinking it is gone forever.

However, that is not the case. Those pieces of waste follow an extremely lengthy process before reaching their final destination.

At LHS, the recycling and trash pickup is similar to what happens at a home. Waste bins throughout the school are emptied by the custodial staff into a dumpster located outside the school, which is then picked up by Groot, the waste collection company for Libertyville and the surrounding area. The recycling program at LHS has been temporarily put to a halt due to the coronavirus, according to building and grounds supervisor Chris Stancil. It was decided by District 128 that LHS would not resume recycling until the pandemic was under control due to the amount of students and staff that handle recycled materials.

So, currently everything is considered trash.

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Alex Clark Jake Short Kate Barry

In Libertyville and its surrounding towns, most people choose to have both trash and recycling bins. However, across the country, the norms for recycling and trash are different.

This is why only 34% of waste from the nation was recycled in 2018, according to a study from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In the United States, the study reported that more than 292 million tons of waste was generated; 146 million tons of that garbage -- half of it -- ended up in a landfill. Of that, 94 million tons were recycled, with the remaining percent being handled with other means like biochemical processing.

The path waste follows from its initial disposal to its final destination is a long and grueling process, and the recycling process itself is complicated and costly. But recycling specifically helps to save the environment and keep landfills from overflowing. The process saves a lot of energy compared to mining more raw materials to create new products. For example, according to Waste Management, another garbage collection company, it takes the same amount of energy to create 20 recycled aluminum cans compared to one new can.

FEATURE

RECYCLING

TRASH

1. After an individual distinguishes their recycling from their garbage, they place it in a designated recycling bin.

Recycling was more difficult a decade ago before recycling centers were upgraded to sort materials automatically; this burden used to fall on the people recycling. One would have to sort their paper, plastic, aluminum and glass into separate bins.

Thanks to new technology and upgraded recycling centers, this problem was resolved.

1. Trash in Libertyville is picked up the same way as recycling. All non-recyclable materials should be disposed of by bagging them and putting them in a garbage can. For larger buildings, dumpsters are the norm.

2. In Libertyville, one’s recycling is then picked up by a Groot truck deployed from Round Lake. After recycling is picked up, it is then dropped off at a recycling center. All the recycling from Lake County is dropped off at the Waste Management Lake County Recycling Center in Grayslake.

3. Once these materials are dropped off, they go through state-of-the-art sorting machines that are almost all automatic. The unsorted recycling left then travels down conveyor belts, passing through many sensors and other machines dedicated to sorting out types of recyclable materials like paper, cardboard, metal, aluminum, glass and plastic.

2. Garbage trucks, also deployed from Groot North in Round Lake Beach, pick up waste on one’s specific garbage on pickup day. This waste then travels back to Groot North before being hauled on a larger vehicle on a 60-mile journey to the Winnebago Landfill in Rockford.

3. Waste at the landfill is dumped over mounds of yearsold waste and then covered with dirt, a plastic shield and layers of clay, and this process continues until the landfill reaches capacity. Once this happens, the waste is covered with clay and another plastic shield. Rainwater that falls on the landfill runs through the layer of dirt and vegetation and over the protective plastic to collection pools. Landfills can be as tall as 150 feet.

4. After the machines sort out all of the different types of materials, they are crushed down and sold. Third-party purchasers buy various blocks of recycled material, and they then clean and process them into something new.

Paper/Cardboard Paper is made of cellulose fiber from wood and water, and the end goal is to bring the recycled paper back down to this material. After recycled paper is sold, it goes through various paths to break the paper back down to cellulose fiber and remove the contaminants like ink, according to Earth911. Then, it is ready for reuse.

Metal/Aluminum The process that metal and aluminum go through is very similar. They get cleaned and all foreign objects are removed from the batch after it has been received from the recycling center. The clean aluminum chips are then inserted into a 730-degree Fahrenheit furnace, where they are melted down into 27-ton ingots, according to Discovery Channel. Then, those ingots can be sheeted down into very thin aluminum, making their way towards a new can.

Plastic After plastic has been sorted from other materials, it gets sorted again based on the type of plastic, called resin content.

The sorted plastic gets chopped up, cleaned, and all labels are removed; however, this may be different based on what kind of plastic is being recycled, according to ThoughtCo. Plastic chunks are melted and then formed into tiny pellets called nurdles, which are then taken and turned into another product.

Glass Glass is sorted again based on color: green, clear, and all other colors get mixed in with brown. These sorted glass materials get crushed down into very small pieces. Before this, the labels are removed with hot water, according to RecycleNow. Next, the small bits of glass are melted and then put into molds for new jars and bottles.

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FEATURE

SETTLING IN THE U.S. Life as an Immigrant in Libertyville Katherine Thomey

Ariella Bucio

Sara Bogan

“The land flourished,” President Lyndon B. Johnson declared at the signing of the Immigration Act of 1965, “because it was fed from so many sources -- because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.”

The history of the United States is steeped in a tradition of immigration, whether that be its role in cultivating the country’s diversity or acting as a target of dissent. In 2019, more than 460,000 U.S. immigrant visas were issued, according to the U.S. Department of State, and slightly more than one million additional people obtained lawful permanent resident status, per a report by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. An average of nearly 510,000 individuals have entered the U.S. on immigrant visas over the past 10 years, and some have made a new home in Libertyville.

Senior Cristina Tuduri Poza immigrated to the United States from Spain following a job offer for her father. Since the move before her freshman year, Tuduri Poza’s family has been devoted to keeping their Spanish culture alive.

“We speak Spanish at home; my parents cook Spanish meals and make sure that we keep in touch with everyone back in Spain,” Yelim Na, a junior at LHS, holds the South Korean flag with her Tuduri Poza shared. mom. Yelim came to the U.S. from South Korea when she was nine While many of her relatives are thousands of miles away, a group years old with her parents of local Spanish families has served as her “family in the U.S.,” getting Originally from Egypt and having moved as her father advanced his together and sharing meals. education and career, her parents have encouraged her to maintain the Junior Rofaida Abdel Rahman, who immigrated to the U.S. from culture of those roots: “My parents made sure...that I went to Arabic Canada in August 2019, shared similar sentiments. school, [they] always talk to us in Arabic...[they] love it when I try to spread as much of our Egyptian culture as [I] can.”

Abdel Rahman also noted the impact Canadian culture has had on her interactions with people. While she has found that people don’t often create conversations with strangers here, in Canada she learned the value of being “kind to everybody and always smiling, always creating conversation.”

Moving to a new country and acclimating to a new culture proves to have its challenges as well.

Junior Yelim Na emigrated from South Korea when she was 9 years old after her father’s job was relocated, and she recalled how little she knew of the United States at the time of her move.

“I had never thought about moving to a different country before moving,” she shared. “My parents tried to help me...they bought books for me about American history and made me read [them], but it didn’t really help because they only talked about history and not the culture and the people.”

Tuduri Poza explained that while being bicultural may sound excitRofaida Abdel Rahman, pictured in the middle, moved from Egypt, then to Canada, and finally to the U.S.. She and her parents are shown hold- ing to some, it can be difficult to establish an identity: “I don’t fit in ing the flag of Egypt. anywhere; when I go to Spain, I’m the American and when I’m here, I’m the [Spaniard].”

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Harry Johnson immigrated from England to the US at the age of eight. He is shown holding the flag that is specific to England instead of the Union Jack, which is the national flag of the U.K.

“It’s like I have two different parts of me...I realized that my Spanish self is definitely different than my American self,” she remarked.

Abdel Rahman also detailed struggles with her identity. She described the diversity and celebration during the parades of Cultural Week in Egypt with large flags, and “everyone on each others’ shoulders...playing their music and dancing.”

“As much as I love my culture and love representing who I am and where I come from, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to spread that joy because most of the people here...they’re only American,” she said.

Junior Harry Johnson, who emigrated from England at the age of eight for his mother’s work, remembered the shift to U.S. suburban living as difficult to adjust to.

“In England, everything’s much closer together, and there’s a lot more walking,” he shared. “You can get everything you need within a 10-minute walk radius of your home, and then when it becomes a 10-minute drive radius of your home [in the U.S.], it’s very weird.”

One of the greatest obstacles to immigration can be permission to enter the country and access to different opportunities once permitted entry. Obtaining visas and green cards can take months or even years to apply for and process, without the guarantee of approval by the U.S. government.

Tuduri Poza recounted the difficulty her family faced in getting back into the U.S. after a trip to Spain. “We had to ask the United States Embassy in Spain, and we had problems with that,” she said.

“It’s harder to go and come back if you don’t have citizenship.”

Abdel Rahman, Na and Tuduri Poza found that adapting to differences in language and slang takes time.

“I have to stop writing color with a ‘u’,” Abdel Rahman shared, in reference to the Canadian spelling of words. “Trust me...that’s so much harder than anything because every single time, I’d write ‘favourite’ or ‘colour’ or ‘labour.’”

She grew up speaking English and Arabic and was immersed in some French while living in Canada. Though the punctuation and letters of Arabic are different than French, Abdel Rahman found

FEATURE that speaking Arabic made learning French, and later Spanish for a few years, much easier.

Na began learning English while living in South Korea due to its requirement in school and additional tutoring classes. Though she had this background upon immigrating to the U.S., she remembered adapting to the language difference as being “really hard at first.”

“When I was learning [English], people would stay stuff slowly because we were learning it, but then [in the U.S.], people talked faster than I was used to,” she remarked.

Tuduri Poza was also exposed to multiple languages from a young age. In addition to growing up speaking Spanish, she took extra English classes and participated in five English exchange programs.

Coming to the U.S., she did not find language to be much of an issue but struggled in classes with specialized vocabulary, such as math.

She continues to embrace the learning process of language and is consistently surprised by novel words and expressions.

“I can probably learn a new word every week or so,” she shared.

“Sometimes I surprise myself and I’m like, ‘How did you go through years not knowing this was a thing?’”

According to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2015-2019, 10.8% of Libertyville’s population was born in a foreign country. Though settling into the atmosphere of a new country and community can be daunting, these students have found comforts and guidance throughout the process.

Aided by friends he made upon his arrival and immersed in holiday traditions that paralleled those in England, Johnson counts himself lucky to have moved to the U.S. when he did.

“As an immigrant, I think we came at one of the best times to be an immigrant from England to America,” he remarked. “We [had] enough money to live here and Brexit [hadn’t happened] yet.”

Similarly, Na pointed out the support she received from the friends she made as she settled in the U.S.: “Even though I didn’t really know them very well, they invited me...and then they introduced me to their friends.”

Abdel Rahman has appreciated the competitive nature of LHS’s academics and also expressed gratitude for the dedication of teachers: “One of the biggest things that really blew my mind is [that] teachers love to teach here...[they] put so much effort into their classes and stay after school for hours and come to school early just to be with kids.”

Christina Tuduri Poza, a senior at LHS, immigrated from Spain to the U.S. with her family right before starting freshman year. She is still able to keep in touch with her family and friends back in Spain with the help of her parents.

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FEATURE

Justice Blindsided Molly Muscato

Lily Hieronymus

Jade Foo

Interested in learning more about the history of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system and its current biases? Scan here to read an extended version of this story.

What determines if a used blunt will be dismissed as “kids being kids” or proof that the defendant was a “thug”? Why is one fistfight met with a slap on the wrist while another mere miles away results in expulsion or even arrest?

Lady Justice’s blindfold has often been heralded as a shield against all bias, but what if it has made her blind to the injustices plaguing the criminal justice system right under her nose?

Countless studies spanning thousands of miles seem to confirm this hypothesis. There is a gaping racial disparity in search, arrest and conviction rates between white people and people of color, a disparity that many suggest is much more so a product of prejudicial policies and policing than of any sort of differential offending.

The Present Racial discrimination and inequality still permeate through the modern criminal justice system in the U.S., as evidenced by a large body of research analyzing self-reported rates of offending, traffic stop data and arrest rates.

Many criminal justice reform activists argue that this inequity is present from the moment that citizens of color interact with the police. For example, a 2016 report from the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force found that “black and Hispanic drivers were searched approximately four times as often as white drivers, yet CPD’s own data show that contraband was found on white drivers twice as often as black and Hispanic drivers.”

“If you get in Lake County State’s trouble with the law Attorney Eric Reinhart as a juvenile, it could connected these statistics mean you’re not able to broader issues in the to get into a good criminal justice system, college or go to college arguing that “I think it is easor get financing for college.” ier to get away with things --LHS School Resource when you’re not being Officer Wayne Kincaid racially profiled for traffic offenses [...] so racial profiling itself, and I think policing Black and Brown communi12 DROPS OF INK

ties harder, begins to lead to the disparities down the road as well.”

And the disparities are undeniable. In 2016, the Sentencing Project reported that African Americans are incarcerated at 5.1 times the rate of white people and that Latinx people are incarcerated at 1.4 times the rate of white people. Contrary to the narrative propagated by many news organizations, differential rates of offending alone can’t account for these discrepancies.

For example, despite near identical rates of drug usage, an article from the HuffPost concluded that African Americans were more than three times as likely as white people to be arrested for drug possession.

The Young The criminal justice system can feel worlds away for many high schoolers, but 48,000 adolescents are currently incarcerated in the U.S., according to the Prison Policy Initiative, and thousands of others are forced to confront the threat of being swept up into the system on a daily basis.

The racial disparity frequently observed in the adult U.S. prison population holds for the juvenile justice system as well, and data from the 2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey illuminates how these discrepancies may be the product of institutionalized racism or racial bias.

“What you begin to see is that young people of color instead of getting a dismissal maybe when they were 18 or 19, they might get a conviction. Whereas maybe people with more access to wealth might get a different type of sentence, and so [there] begins a sort of ladder process.”

--Lake County Sheriff’s Attorney Eric Rinehart

FEATURE For example, about one third of African American high school students and one fifth of white high school students reported participating in a physical fight in a 12-month period, yet African American youth were three times as likely as white youth to be arrested for simple assault. Additionally, white students were more likely to report carrying a weapon in a one-month period and about as likely to report using drugs as African American students, but African American youth were arrested at 3.6 times the rate of white youth for weapons violations and 1.4 times the rate of white youth for drug abuse violations.

Reinhart provided insight on how these disparities arise on a caseby-case level: “What you begin to see is that young people of color, instead of getting a dismissal maybe when they were 18 or 19, they might get a conviction, whereas maybe people with more access to wealth might get a different type of sentence. And so [there] begins a sort of ladder process” that results in a disproportionate number of youth of color being incarcerated.

The Schools There has also been a growing emphasis placed on the possible role of schools in funneling youth into the juvenile justice system due to the institution of harsher school disciplinary practices in recent years.

The disproportionate impact of these policies on students of color begins as early as preschool, where African American students make up 18% of all preschoolers enrolled but nearly half of all preschoolers who served an out-of-school suspension in 2014, according to NPR. LHS Equity Coordinator Mrs. Singleton described why African American students are punished more harshly than their white peers, stating that “a lot of times what happens is the teacher’s implicit bias kicks in, and they see a child of color as older than they are and as being more threatening.”

This implicit bias may explain why a 2011 report from the National Education Policy Center found that African American students were more likely to be sent to the office even after controlling for teacher ratings of student misbehavior. The same report also revealed that African American students are more likely to be referred, and by extension, suspended, for more subjective offenses while white students are more likely to be referred for more documentable offenses.

While some activists decry the presence of school resource officers in high schools, LHS School Resource Officer (SRO) Wayne Kincaid suggested the increased presence of SROs nationwide “has made it less [likely] that kids will go to prison or they’ll stay out of the system longer” because SROs can provide counseling and work through the adjudication process to give students who might otherwise be pushed into the criminal justice system a second chance.

The Aftermath Former President George W. Bush once said, “America is the land of second chance — and when the gates of the prison open, the path should lead to a better life.” However, American society’s current treatment of recently released prisoners and even of suspended students too often deemed “troublemakers” is a far cry from a second chance.

Students who are suspended or expelled even for minor infractions have long been documented as being at an increased risk of performing poorly academically, dropping out of high school and

being incarcerated later in life.

After incarceration, there are multiple barriers that prevent a smooth re-introduction to the world, especially for people of color.

Officer Kincaid illustrated the multitude of consequences of juvenile incarceration, explaining, “If you get in trouble with the law as a juvenile, it could mean you’re not able to get into a good college or go to college or get financing for college.”

Similarly, the unemployment rate of those formerly incarcerated is much higher than that of the general population, and The New York Times reported that “white men with prison records receive far more offers for entry-level jobs in New York City than black men with identical records.”

The Hope While the current state of the criminal justice system may be bleak, many in the Libertyville community and beyond are taking steps to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and reduce the racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

State’s Attorney Reinhart emphasized the importance of data transparency in generating awareness surrounding racial disparities in the criminal justice system. He also expressed hope that the local school-to-prison pipeline could be disrupted by introducing community ambassadors to help connect students with the resources they need and facilitate a better relationship between students and those charged with protecting them.

Mrs. Singleton highlighted the potential of restorative justice in both reducing suspension rates and bettering students’ overall mental health because it takes the approach of, “Let’s take a look and see what happened, what caused that behavior... [and] what can we do together to help you and to move past this and just support you” instead of moving to immediately punish a student.

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r FEATURE

The End is Near:

Seniors reflect on the ending of their pandemicinfluenced high school careers Hannah Sachs

Peyton Rodriguez

With second semester kicking off, the class of 2021 is quickly approaching the end of high school. Due to Covid-19, the class’s final first semester was defined by uncertainty and unforeseen challenges; currently, they are entering their final months as high schoolers, still facing barriers and restrictions to their experience.

As seniors begin to plan for their futures after LHS, some are also taking time to reflect on not only their past four years of high school but also their losses and experiences from the 2020-21 school year.

Some of these missed opportunities include LHS traditions that have been put aside to account for the restrictions of the pandemic. By being forced to take the necessary precautions, seniors have missed out on many of their “lasts’’ as high schoolers, including dances and assemblies.

Seniors Rania Bahrani and Marilyn Yu said they were both most upset to miss school dances and sporting events. Katie Stone mentioned the senior-specific tradition of powder puff football, while Mark Ekdahl said he missed the normalcy and “general going about your day.”

One senior experience that many have still been exposed to, however, is senioritis, which Merriam-Webster defines as “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences and lower grades.”

Stone shared that her senioritis “definitely got worse than [she] thought it would be.” She explained that the symptom she encountered most was struggling with motivation. Due to the different environment of school characterized by seemingly easier tests and optional homework, she felt like she didn’t have to try as hard.

Alex Clark

Senior Ty Holzworth expressed that he entered the school year inspired to go through “the motions of a new schooling experience” but quickly “ran out of batteries” in first semester. Stone, Yu and Bahrani shared similar thoughts. Bahrani mentioned feeling exhausted near the end of the semester due to the stress of completing assignments, working toward goal grades and focusing on her GPA — all while trying to pay attention to her mental health.

The pressure of sending colleges first-semester senior grades played a key role in keeping Stone motivated to complete work first semester. However, she and Yu spoke of second semester with curiosity, unsure how motivated they’ll feel since colleges don’t typically request eighth semester grades. Yu also added that with AP exams and seniors eligible to be exempt from second semester finals, some seniors might “just be trying to get by” second semester and motivation will run even lower.

Senioritis is not a universal experience, however, as Ekdahl shared that he doesn’t feel he’s experienced any part of it. He expressed that when he’s at home, he feels like he “better be doing something” and that “[he’d] feel bad if [he] was not doing [his] work and just sitting [there].”

While the senior class as a whole is experiencing the same losses of academic normalcy and school traditions, Stone, Holzworth, Ekdahl, Bahrani and Yu all mentioned feeling that the bond of the class had been weakened for various reasons.

Stone explained that she typically only talks with her closest friends now so “seeing and connecting with other people in the

“Really strong opinions on whether we should go back [to school] or not have separated our community, especially our senior class.”

-Marilyn Yu

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FEATURE

“In the long run, you’re gonna miss all of those practices you had and you’re gonna wish that you stayed involved in this club.”

-Katie Stone

senior class” has occurred significantly less than normal. On another note, Bahrani shared that the absence of activities such as spirit weeks and school dances, which typically unite grade levels, especially the senior class, has left the class with a weaker bond.

Ekdahl believes there’s been some bonding, but in a way that has simultaneously caused division. He explained that those who have abided by Covid restrictions in similar manners have strengthened their bonds in internal groups, however, this has only created division between those who have differing definitions of Covid-appropriate behavior. Similarly, Yu expressed that the “really strong opinions on whether we should go back or not have separated our community, especially our senior class.”

In terms of closure for the high school experience, Yu didn’t believe she would be experiencing that feeling but mentioned an appreciation for principal Tom Koulentes’s efforts to give attention to the senior class in order to help give their high school experience a sense of completion. She said this year “feels like it’s not really a conclusive ending to [her] high school experience” and feels her “last actual high school experience was before we left for Covid” during her junior year.

After fully completing high school, Bahrani feels she will experience “a little bit of closure” but also shared that “parts of [her] will say [she] didn’t get closure.” She added, “I didn’t experience the senior year that I wanted to experience, and knowing that we missed out on so many different things that we’ve all wished to go through” would keep her from closure.

Looking to the future, seniors will have to embark on their next steps despite having an unconven-

tional senior year, which Stone mentioned feeling slightly nervous about. Thinking about her transition to college, Stone explained that retaining information this year in what she feels are college preparatory classes has been much more difficult. Yu expressed that “it doesn’t feel really real that [they’re] going to college this year” due to the impact of Covid-19 on senior year. Holzworth feels that the block scheduling of hybrid has been a good preparation for college scheduling and he’s excited for the next adventure.

The year isn’t over and neither are some seniors’ hopes for bits of normalcy or tradition before they leave. Yu expressed her hopes of having a closing activity for seniors, whether that be a prom or graduation. Bahrani and Stone shared similar ideas, and Stone explained that since last year’s prom was also cancelled due to Covid-19, she would like one last chance to experience the upperclassmen dance.

While Ekdahl also shared an interest in a school dance, he wasn’t confident in the possibility of that happening. Instead, Ekdahl is hoping for “a more normal in-person school situation” with hope for “a few weeks of more traditional school.”

While the seniors’ time at LHS is coming to an end despite this year’s missed events, they had some advice for the Wildcats who will be continuing on at LHS. Stone encouraged students to join extracurriculars and keep up their participation, saying that, “in the long run, you’re gonna miss all of those practices you had and you’re gonna wish that you stayed involved in this club.” Yu encouraged participation even when at home, saying, “there’s always a way to do something that you’re interested in and that you’re passionate about.” Holzworth shared a reminder that all the “low moments in high school” are “learning experiences.”

“I didn’t experience the senior year that I wanted to experience.”

-Rania Bahrani

FEBRUARY 2021

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STAFF EDITORIAL

DOI Staff

Paige Vang

Avery Vang

Note: This piece is a staff editorial, which is an opinion article meant to reflect the opinions of the Drops of Ink staff. Because of this, the author’s name does not appear alongside the story, as the opinions shared in here are based on class discussions about the topic among the 38 DOI staff members. The staff is composed of students of all grades from a variety of backgrounds and experiences; therefore, the editorial speaks to the publication’s view on a subject and is not representative of each staff member’s exact view on the issue at hand.

2020 was tough; no one will deny that. But as the new year begins, it is important to take a moment and reflect on both what has been learned and what the future may hold. We want to fervently believe that 2021 will be better. With a new administration, a vaccine and hopes that we return to a more normal life soon, we believe that the future is bright.

With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically in March, when it became all-too-real for LHS students, we pivoted from in-person learning to online learning with little-to-no warning. That school year was over. No prom, no graduation parties, no signing of yearbooks, no farewells to seniors heading to college or elsewhere.

There were no more dinners at local restaurants or large gatherings at people’s homes. It was strange, it was different, it was sad.

Maintaining a social distance became the norm and a mask was another part of your outfit, an added accessory that was not to be forgotten. Yet, it was still strange and difficult to maintain the six feet distance between friends. Some lost friendships to Covid as the pandemic unfortunately became politicized. Another reason for this loss was the fact that friendships require continuous attention.

Staying home or maintaining social distance created a very real distance and rift amongst friends.

Because of the pandemic, we were able to reevaluate our values and our lives, and that allowed us to slow the pace of our lives. We were able to spend more time with our immediate family members and learned to appreciate what we have. It gave us a chance to learn more about ourselves and discover new passions.

But 2020 did not get any easier as summer approached. With the calls for social and racial justice that were provoked by the death of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement dominated the national discourse. The racial awakening of our country was long overdue and had been rejected many times in the past. We have learned that racial inequalities still exist in our country and that we as a collective whole must work together to effect change.

No one political candidate can change our country, but rather, the people must keep pushing for justice to inflict change because

BLM is not a trend. It is a movement that must continue until social and racial justice are both acknowledged and addressed. Powerful speakers at local protests moved us and motivated many to research and become more aware and potentially even become social activists themselves. Even though attending protests was not possible for everyone due to COVID, people found other ways of showing support and making change, whether it was through social media, having conversations with family members or exchanging ideas with friends.

The fall of 2020 brought with it a contentious election, which was stressful for many people because of the election’s polarizing nature. Drastically differing opinions created tension between family and friends. People’s true values were exposed and this caused many people to question whether or not to maintain relationships with those who demonstrated severely different views.

Along with the political divisions, the country also failed to come together for the pandemic, which caused more disappointment and stress. The upside to this election was the record number of people who voted either by mail or in person despite the pandemic.

With the election of the first woman, who is also the first woman of color, as our vice president, along with the new administration, there is hope, as they have already set a better example for the country by wearing masks and social distancing.

2021 cannot possibly be worse than 2020, and although it was an important learning experience, hopefully better things await us in the future. There is hope that seeing friends will be more frequent; that the fall of 2021 will bring a new, more normal school year; and that the vaccine rollout will be successful to minimize the number of deaths caused by the pandemic. We have learned not to take for granted all of the little things we now cherish, including waking up early, getting ready for school and seeing our friends and teachers every day.

FEBRUARY 2021 17

OPINION

Ella Marsden Dimitrios Mitsopoulos Avery Vang For the last 11 months, I’ve watched the number of COVID cases skyrocket. I’ve watched as this virus takes lives — lives of people I may have passed on the street or sat by on the train, people who may have sold me coffee or waited behind me in line at Target. I’ve been constantly worried that someone I love may get the virus and not recover.

Then on Wednesday, Jan. 6, I spent the day trying to focus on studying while a mob of white supremacists broke into the Capitol building. As it turns out, it wasn’t easy to focus on my Spanish homework while my social media feed was taken over by images of terrorists seizing the seat of power in a riot incited by the former president.

As hard as I tried to look away, I couldn’t.

On Tuesday, Jan. 19, I was in my government class when I got a notification on my phone that the U.S. had surpassed 400,000 deaths from the coronavirus. As much as this news stirred me, I was forced to ignore it and continue listening to the lecture. If I fall behind in class, it’s my responsibility to make it up — and no matter what, the work must get done.

While I worry about all of that, I’m still expected to turn in all my homework on time. And I’m expected to keep up my grades and work as if life is normal. How can I be expected to brush that off and prioritize school work?

This year in AP classes, we’re expected to absorb the same amount of information at the level we would in a normal year. As of now, AP tests will be normal, and we’ll be tested on all of the information that is covered in a typical year. How can we possibly learn the same amount of information when our usual 135 hours (rougly) spent in the classroom is 18 DROPS OF INK

being cut down to only about 117, mostly via Zoom? In our current hybrid model, that’s nearly six less weeks spent in a class. How can we be expected to understand the content as well as before?

I know we can’t just stop doing school, and I understand the value of having a way to distract myself from the horrors of the world. But I’m constantly finding myself having to pick between allowing myself time to process life-altering events and keeping up my grades. And it always feels like I have to prioritize school, so I do.

I bury my feelings and let my emotions pile up. I’m sick of constantly having to choose school over my own well-being. I deserve time to process. I deserve to be able to acknowledge all that’s going on without being terrified that it’ll cause my GPA to plummet.

Libertyville is a great school, I know that.

I’m used to the high expectations, and I’m used to staying up late every night doing homework. But right now, what my peers and I need is leniency. What we need is for teachers and administration to understand that these circumstances are nowhere near normal and that it’s absolutely insane to expect that we can perform at the same high level as before.

I’ve found that it’s really important to remind myself that my worth is not measured by my productivity. And if you take nothing else away from this, I want you to remember that — you are worth more than the work you produce.

As a school, we need to reframe our mindset and worry less about whether or not an assignment was turned in on time. We need to worry less about busywork and making sure students always have something school-related to do.

Now more than ever, we deserve a break. We deserve to take care of our mental health. We deserve to take in everything that’s going on in our country and our world without the looming fear of falling behind in classes.

The world is on fire, give us a break.

OPINION

Idolizing Politicians is Dangerous Christian Roberts

O

n Jan. 20, Joe Biden was inaugurated on the steps of the Capitol Building, becoming the 46th president of the United States. As his vice president, Biden chose Kamala Harris, a former Democratic senator and California secretary of state, who became the first woman to ever hold the position.

Democrats everywhere rejoiced, ecstatic of the new reality that Donald Trump would no longer be running the country. For the past four years, Trump was criticized by politicians, activists and civilians alike for actions that many disagreed with, including banning all travel from predominantly Muslim countries, deporting Latinos and increasing partisan divides that were already pulling America apart at the seams.

Moderates and Democrats might say Biden and Harris are polar opposites of Trump -who is clearly not a role model or someone to be admired.

Supporters see the president and vice president as beams of light at the end of a dark tunnel, but placing these two on such a pedestal would be disrespectful to the hundreds of thousands of people of color affected by the racist and oppressive policies passed by these two politicians in their former positions.

In the current political climate, Biden and Harris are almost seen as celebrities, instead of politicians with immense amounts of power. One trip to Twitter or Instagram will be met with videos and personal montages praising the two, whilst swearing they will be the best administration America has ever seen.

Biden and Harris consistently promise reform to the criminal justice system, as seen on Biden’s campaign website: “Today, too many people are incarcerated in the United States – and too many of them are black and brown.”

Decarceration is a noble idea; however, the 1994 crime bill -- which Biden heavily supported as a senator -- is a major reason why there ARE too many people in prison, with the majority of them being people of color. The 1994 crime bill saw the federal government providing funds for states to build more prisons, employ 100,000 more cops, and support grant programs that encouraged police officers to carry out more drug-related arrests. This further fueled the disastrous war on drugs, mostly targeting Black communities suffering from the crack epidemic.

Kajsa Murphy

Olivia Poell

Why are we idolizing Biden, who on top of everything else, remarked in 1977, in regards to desegregation of schools, that, “Unless we do something about this, my children are going to grow up in a jungle, the jungle being a racial jungle?”

During Harris’s time as attorney general in California, she fought to keep nonviolent offenders in prison, even after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered that California reduce its prison population, citing that overcrowding in California prisons was so bad that it was resulting in unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment.

Some people, like Biden and Harris, have really, really tainted histories. It’s possible that they could have grown out of their old mindsets, but to completely ignore their harmful actions is doing a disservice to everyone affected. Allowing their, and other politicians’, long track records of hypocrisy and racist rhetoric to go unchecked by praising them is dangerous to everyone, Republican or Democrat.

Another prime example of this can be seen during the span of the Obama administration. President Barack Obama was loved by people everywhere because of his charismatic and outgoing personality. As a result, many turned a blind eye to the massive number of civilian casualties in the Middle East, which resulted from thousands of drone strikes ordered by Obama himself. At one point during a five-month span, a military report that was leaked to the press stated that 90% of casualties suffered from drone strikes in the Middle East were not the intended targets, meaning President Obama was killing civilians so often that casual brutality became the norm. However, it was nearly impossible for his supporters to criticize him because he had garnered an almost cultlike following over the span of his two terms. People had become complacent with his war crimes.

Nobody is perfect, and it would be ridiculous to assume so.

Politicians fall under this same umbrella. But the idolization of politicians often seen on social media and in other areas is extremely dangerous, and it makes it very difficult to criticize them when they do something wrong.

Remember that politicians are to be constantly criticized and held accountable for their actions, not applauded because they said a witty comment on live television to appease young people. Stop idolizing politicians.

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OPINION

Gender Inequality is Plaguing the Classroom Ellie George and Ella Marsden

It’s not uncommon to hear our male classmates claim that gender inequality doesn’t exist and that women and men are treated the same. And wouldn’t it be nice if that was true?

Sexism might not exist in the same blatant fashion as it did in the past, but gender discrimation hasn’t gone away, and it’s something women deal with in our daily lives. Today, sexism is ingrained into every aspect of life, and it has become so normal that we often don’t recognize it. Unfortunately, sexism is especially prevalent in the classroom. We’ve personally been subject to this near-ubiquitous sexism, and we’ve also witnessed its effects on our female peers.

One recurring incident that has stuck with me is when I (Ella) was in my chemistry class sophomore year. I was the only girl in my lab group, and I never got to actually participate in the labs. My group always made me write down the data from the experiments. No matter what lab we were doing, one of the boys in the group always took the lead. I’d try to help; I’d try to take a more important role, but the boys in my group never listened to me. They probably didn’t even realize what they were doing, but it was so natural for them to take charge over a female that they just relegated me to a background role without a second thought.

Another issue that it seems like every girl has experienced is the classic repeat-my-answer-louder phenomenon.

Ask any girl you know, and she’s probably had a classmate — likely a non-female one — take an answer that she’d shared quietly and claim it as their own. This is something we’re all familiar with, and something we all probably recognize as unfair, yet it continues

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Amanda Black

Jade Foo

to happen.

As an opinionated and outspoken person, I (Ellie) have been called bossy for almost all of my life. It used to make me feel good. Who doesn’t love being the boss? But as my male peers began to mature and contribute their own ideas to discussions, teachers and parents didn’t call them bossy like they did

adolescence, girls often begin questioning their own judgement. It also found that girls are more likely to attribute their failures to internal factors while their male counterparts blame external factors. Girls also tended to be afraid to fail, which made them less inclined to take risks or enroll in STEM classes. The study reported that

with me. They praised them as leaders. Then I began to understand the difference in labels that my male peers and I were receiving.

The difference in language used for females and males in the education system impacts how children perceive gender roles.

Leaders make good bosses, but being bossy gets you a stern look to sit down and be quiet.

A 2003 study conducted by the University of South Florida found that during

adolescent girls tend to lose their assertiveness and become more self-critical.

This timidness often carries over into the classroom, where girls may lack the confidence to raise their hand or participate during discussions.

Emily

OPINION

Eichmeier, a social worker at LHS, said she had been noticing that LHS is home to gender discrimination, and she wanted to find a way to give female students a support group made up of other women and girls at the school. Two years ago, she and other female faculty members started hosting Dare to Empower lunches, which gave female-identifying students a space to talk freely about sexism they’d encountered and discover ways to support themselves and their female classmates.

The prevalence of gender-related microaggressions are common knowledge for most female-identifying students at LHS, but some male students have also seemed to become more aware of the issue. Senior Kevin Joseph noted that he’s witnessed his female classmates fall victim to sexism in the classroom setting.

Joseph, who takes STEM classes like computer science, explained how he perceives his female classmates’ experiences: “When I’m leading a discussion, I don’t necessarily see [many] female participants, but I can’t blame them,” he remarked. “Being in a male-dominated class, especially computer science, would be intimidating.”

Additionally, he feels that the toxic male culture at LHS is contributing to the already prevalent issue of sexism in the classroom.

English teacher Ryan Ebling echoed this: “As I’ve been learning about sexism and misogyny in the last couple of years, I’ve noticed that it’s everywhere and that it’s something that we accept as just the way things are...and we act like nobody taught [men] to be that way or nobody continues to teach them to be that way.”

Joseph has heard his female

peers referred to as a dishwasher or being told to go make a sandwich.

“It seems funny and insignificant when they say it, but at the end of the day, all of that piles up,” he explained. “I can’t imagine how I would feel being called stuff like that all the time.”

Mr. Ebling has found that as a man, his role in dismantling gender inequality is to listen to women when they tell him about their experiences with sexism. He shared that it’s a natural response to feel defensive when being called out on sexism, and that it’s something he’s made a conscious effort to fight.

It’s not your fault if you subconsciously perpetuate gender inequality. But it is your fault if a woman tells you that your actions are harmful and you choose not to change your behavior. And this goes for anyone, no matter their gender. If we are not open to feedback and if we don’t allow others to

committed to improving gender equality. One way she practices this in her daily life is by “promoting femininity because it’s shamed [by some people].”

Filler explained that the Advocats group loves to do activities such as making friendship bracelets, painting and other artistic activities that allow for creative expression during their meetings.

“Just because [these] activities are deemed inherently feminine doesn’t make them less important than sports or other activities like that,” Filler commented.

On an individual level, we can all start calling out sexism when we see it — you’re responsible for supporting those around you, no matter your gender. An act as simple as letting your male classmate know that the joke he made was in poor taste can begin to rewrite societal norms. It may help that person be more conscious of “[Women must] persevere. It’s hard imperceivable sexism. It may enwhen you see [girls being talked over] courage others to call out sexism

all the time, and when you’re an outspoken woman, that’s going to happen to you. But, the more you speak, the more you get used to it, the more you get used to the reaction, you’ll know how to handle it better. Just try to get your voice out there more, it helps in the long run.”

--Georgia Filler correct our wrong behaviors, we will never progress toward gender equality.

In order to create a society with women in powerful and successful jobs, we need to create an environment in the classroom in which all genders feel comfortable speaking their mind, and know that their thoughts and opinions are valued.

Being raised to tolerate interruptions from a male in the classroom ingrains the idea in young women that being submissive to men is the only way to be successful.

As the president of Advocats, a club targeted on discussing and identifying gender inequality, senior Georgia Filler is

in their daily lives.

Change won’t happen overnight, and it certainly won’t happen if we’re not all committed to taking ownership of the systemic sexism that dominates our lives today. Change starts with acknowledging the work we’ve done and the work we have left to do. Change starts with you.

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SPORTS

LHS WINTER SPORTS RESUME AFTER TWO-MONTH PAUSE Andrew Brooks

On Nov. 16 -- nearly three months ago -- tryouts began for six winter sports at LHS. These sports -- boys swimming and diving, cheer, boys and girls bowling, dance and girls gymnastics -- completed their tryouts on Nov. 20. However, that same day, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that the state’s restrictions were getting tighter due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Due to these new mitigations, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) paused all high school sports for a minimum of 30 days. Despite this pause, LHS continued their sports seasons virtually.

Athletic Director John Woods spoke highly of the coaches and student-athletes during their virtual pause: “There were a lot of different, cool things that we saw,” he said.

Each of the winter sports teams met on Zoom five times a week and participated in a variety of activities, doing whatever they could to prepare themselves for when their

seasons resumed.

“It was so fun for me to be able to pop into team meetings,” Mr. Woods said. “The coaches were sharing videos and then critiquing and providing instruction. They had workouts with our strength and conditioning coordinator. They talked about core values and standards.”

Senior Mitch Madland is the captain of the varsity boys swim team. This is his fourth year on the team, and he normally participates in club swim as well. He said that not being in the pool has “been a bummer because I always look forward to swim.

It just kind of holds a special place in my heart.”

Madland spoke of some of the struggles of the swim Zoom calls, which were at 7 a.m. every weekday.

“I feel like being motivated to get on a Zoom call is a little tough sometimes, but we’ve been making it work, and having everyone in the same situation really helps

The boys swim team starts practice by hanging their masks on strings before getting in the pool, in order to follow guidelines set by the IHSA.

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Paige Vang

because we can push each other to try our best,” he said.

Another student-athlete who experienced virtual sports is senior Kelsey Corrigan, who is a four-year member and captain of the varsity dance team. As a captain, she spoke with the coaches about “how we can do as much as we can with the limited space.”

The dance team has been “conditioning every Monday and Friday and then in between, learning from our choreography team,” Corrigan said. “It’s really nice to see my teammates every day and talk to them but it’s pretty much impossible to clean a dance over Zoom because we can’t see everyone together or give each other corrections.”

While winter sports were entirely virtual, Mr. Woods had a positive outlook on the situation. He believes that with all sports teams, “you get culture cultivation, then physical and mental strength and conditioning.” He continued, “Once you have that foundation, only then can you get into the skills, drills and fundamentals.” According to this philosophy, the time on pause will set the athletes up for success when they resume their seasons.

During the pause, the IHSA also made a decision to move badminton from its usual spring season to the winter.

“Badminton is a low-risk sport. It was moved to the winter because we can play safely now,” explained Mr. Woods. “Because of facility availability, it made sense to move it.”

So the badminton team, which usually begins their season around spring break, began quite unconventionally: virtually, in early January. However, their pause didn’t last long because on Monday, Jan. 18, winter sports, including badminton, were cleared to return to in-person practice.

Shortly thereafter, the IHSA announced the revised sports schedule for the rest of the school year. Along with the seven winter

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SPORTS sports that came off of pause, boys and girls basketball were set to begin “as soon as possible,” according to the IHSA. Seven practices will be required before competitions can occur, and these winter sports will end their seasons on March 13, giving them an eight-week season.

Despite their seasons beginning, the basketball teams cannot play games against other schools yet. Basketball is one of four high-risk sports, along with football, lacrosse and wrestling. High-risk sports cannot compete against other schools until their region enters Phase 4. Libertyville’s region is currently one level away from this mitigation phase.

This year’s spring sports season is staggered. Football, boys soccer, boys and girls water polo, girls volleyball, and boys gymnastics will begin sometime during March. However, each of their end dates is different.

New in 2021 will be the summer season, featuring many of the traditional spring sports. Baseball, boys and girls lacrosse, girls soccer, softball, boys tennis, boys and girls track and field, and boys volleyball will begin April 5 and conclude their seasons June 19.

Wrestling is also in the summer season and will begin two weeks later, on April 19.

“The goal of the IHSA is to have all seasons compete at some point during the remainder of the school year,” Mr. Woods said. As far as state series go, a majority of the winter and spring sports will not have the opportunity to compete at the state level this year. The only ones to be confirmed so far are cheer and dance,

The LHS varsity dance team practice their dances with masks while preparing for their season.

which will have virtual state series in early March.

The IHSA said it wants to do “everything in their power to prevent spring sports from going two consecutive years with no postseason play.” For that reason, most of the summer sports have a “TBD” designation in regards to a state series.

Whether these spring and summer sports will indeed happen is still uncertain, but for now, winter sports have started up again. Senior Kathleen Jin, a four-year member of the badminton team, spoke on the safety measures her team is taking to be able to participate safely.

“We each are assigned to a court and you’re only really allowed to play with the people on your court,” Jin said. “We used to

Varsity badminton players start their season with doubles matches amid COVID-19 precautions.

do hallway runs and ladders, which we can’t do now. So we do footwork, like jumping back and forth across the line.”

According to the IHSA, “all student-athletes will participate in masks with the exception of swimming & diving, gymnasts on an apparatus and outdoor events where social distancing can occur.”

Along with masks and social distancing, LHS will require all in-season athletes to participate in the district’s COVID-19 testing program once a week. There will also be no spectators allowed during indoor athletic competitions at LHS. Due to this, the school will stream most of the sporting events on YouTube so family and friends can still view the competitions as they are happening, Mr. Woods said.

“When there is faith in the future, there is power in the present,” said Mr. Woods. “Go Wildcats!”

Scan here to read the online version of the story, which contains the IHSA schedule for the remainder of the year FEBRUARY 2021 23

SPORTS

all in this together: how an athlete’s support system can help motivate and inspire Natalie Isberg

T

he journey of an athlete is not one they tread on their own. All around them, exists groups of people that help mold and shape an athlete into the person they want to be. Ultimately, it is through these supports that an athlete can rise to their potential.

A team is one example. Bonding with a team can be one of the best feelings in the world. Teammates are often there for each other out on the field, whether it’s to celebrate a win, to hype each other up before the big match or to motivate each other through a rough patch of losses.

Not only can teammates be an important confidence booster during a game, but they can become an athlete’s source of happiness and serve as a stress reliever.

Even in sports that have solo events, such as fencing or gymnastics, the team matters just as much, as a team’s chants and cheers from the sidelines can boost an athlete’s confidence and help them perform better.

The effects of a strong team bond aren’t just limited to the field, as a team can also help to cultivate vital values. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), a leading high school sports organization, students who work towards the same goal tend to develop a greater appreciation for and understanding of their peers. This in turn helps to inspire athletes to be hard-working and collaborative.

Hanging out with their team after a successful game or event can help an athlete relax from the day. Senior Faith Roberts, who has committed to Carthage College for soccer, recounted how one of the best parts of soccer was being able to enjoy a victory with her teammates.

“My favorite memories were [of] winning a game and then coming back on the bus and we all [were] screaming different songs at the top of our lungs,” she said.

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Amanda Black

Olivia Poell

“you’re gonna have a bad game, you’re going to be shooting poorly or you’re going to be having turnovers, but my coaches have always been there for me and telling me, ‘keep going, keep pushing.’ you’re here to not only be there for yourself, but you also have to be able to overcome those struggles and be there for your teammates.”

-- lauren huber

Such experiences of teamwork and camaraderie can help an athlete maintain focus on their dream of athletics and selfimprovement. An article by Edutopia, an educational website, explains that team

sports in particular are said to help bolster the five C’s: competence, confidence, connections, character and caring, and that such an environment is imperative to the vital growth of one’s self-esteem.

Another important aspect of an athlete’s life and support system is their coach(es).

While they are there to ensure that drills and practices run as planned, as well as keeping everyone in check, they can also stand as important role models and pillars of character for athletes to look up to.

“We have our overall vision, and our vision, really, is built on building and maintaining relationships with our athletes and giving them the leadership skills to be contributing members to our society,” said varsity dance team coach Casey Dugan. She continued, “Yes, we want to win. Yes, we want to do well. But that’s not our value as a program. It is that we are working to be better people and be there for our teammates every day.”

Coaches also serve to remind athletes of the importance of being a team player.

Boys bowling coach Robert Sweno expressed this when discussing values he teaches his athletes.

“Sometimes, people get caught up on the individual side [of their game] and only focus on that, and so I’ve always tried to encourage the kids to think big picture and

SPORTS

Megan Hutchins, the head athletic director, is in her first year at LHS; however, she’s been a certified athletic trainer for more than seven years. Below, she is working with Adele Wilberding, a sophomore gymnast, who has a lower leg injury. LHS trainers are in the building from 10:30 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. and are available to treat any student or staff member throughout the week.

[on how] what we’re doing helps out the team,” he said. “If an individual is having a subpar game, they get upset, but if we take a second and say, ‘you know, forget about your individual game. Focus on getting as many pins as you can to help out the team score because you know your individual score is only a piece of the team’s score, so you got to focus more on, what can I do to help the team?’”

Behind the scenes are also the athletic trainers, who can be found on the sidelines of practices and home events. In their line of work, they aid in an injured athlete’s recovery through the implementation of a therapy plan that includes active recovery, while also listening to any problems an athlete might have outside of sports.

Megan Hutchins, the head athletic trainer in her first year at LHS, expressed that some athletes she has helped over the years have often come asking her assistance.

“They might come to you for something totally non-injury related, seeking your advice just because you’re a safe person for them to come on and talk to,” Hutchins said.

While an athlete may not see an athletic trainer as regularly as a team or coach, the athletic trainer can be a great source of support, especially for those with concerns regarding an injury.

Additionally, family can serve as a big

source of support in an athlete’s life.

For Sweno, his passion for bowling began through a family tradition that started at Fair Haven Lanes in Mundelein with his dad and younger brother.

“My brother is four years younger than me.

Him and my dad joined [a bowling league] a year before I got into it...and I said, well, I got to do this too, so I had to join as well, but yeah, it became a big family thing,” Sweno recalled. “It was something that, the three of us would do together and then kind of grew into family parties and stuff.”

Aside from potentially being an athlete’s first glimpse into the world of their sport, families can also be an athlete’s biggest motivation.

Senior basketball player Lauren Huber, who has committed to Holy Cross College, said that her parents and brother have always motivated her.

“My parents have always pushed me to just find things I love,” she said. “My brother, who’s a sophomore right now, got into basketball before me. He’s been playing forever, so I kind of saw him start playing basketball and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I need to start playing. He’s really helped influence me and we compete all the time, we play one-on-one,

so he’s definitely helped me.”

There are many support groups out there for an athlete, ranging from their own teammates to family waiting just beyond the sidelines. It is through these connections that athletes are able to not only gain further insight into their own goals and potential, but to learn valuable skills and make lasting relationships with those around them.

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FEATURE

What's Trending:

New Year's Resolutions...

New Year’s resolutions are a tradition that, for some, mark new beginnings and a hopeful outlook on the new year. After the hardships endured throughout 2020, New Year’s resolutions for 2021 seem especially important, giving people positive goals to strive for. Last month, Drops of Ink sent out a survey asking students what their New Year’s resolutions are for 2021. Here are some of the responses:

Lyann Tam

Jade Foo

Physical Wellness

Productivity and Habits

Community

- Improve my sleep schedule - Workout 3-4 times a week

- To not use plastic water bottles - To stay away from TikTok

- To make new connections and enjoy high school while it lasts - To spread kindness

Mental and Emotional Health

Hobbies and Passions - Do something to better myself in baseball every single day - To build my own computer - To have a better connection with God - To take 3D modeling seriously - Practice makeup

Though pursuing a long term goal is often hard to keep...

Have you kept past new year’s resolutions?

Yes No Sometimes

26 DROPS OF INK

- I’m trying to be more grateful - To be more confident in myself and not give in to the judgment of others - To speak up for myself more often - To be open-minded and more positive

the idea of a fresh start and a brighter future after 2020 seems to be a positive and inspiring force: Do you think you are more likely to keep your new year’s resolution in 2021?

Yes No

Teaching Traditions

CROSSWORD

Liam Tucker

This puzzle is based off of different LHS teachers’ traditions. Every answer is a teacher’s last name.

Across

Down

4. He occasionally teaches wearing a Prussian pic kelhaube 5. This computer science teacher gifts each former student a rubber duck when they graduate 8. She gives her students an “AP Stats Cats” pencil before AP tests 9. He offers any former student a piece of candy every day until they graduate 10. She begins every Friday biology class with Rebecca Black’s “Friday” 12. Math teacher with an iconic joke about logarithms

1. This art teacher starts class with an exercise drawing a slide as it comes into focus 2. The first LHS teacher to start classes with “three things you’re grateful for” 3. Physical education teacher with a weekly “Monday motivation” 6. He gives out brownies to current and former students every other Friday 7. His room slowly fills with rhinos as he teaches the French book “Rhinoceros” 11. She occasionally begins dance classes with a clip from a professional musical 13. He has brought classes indoor skydiving after AP tests

Answers found online at lhsdoi.com

FEBRUARY 2021 27